Chapter 165 165

Chapter 165 165
EMILY

I was scared.

It sounded ridiculous after everything Ryan and I had said to each other upstairs in his bedroom, after the tears we'd cried and the promises we'd made, but the fear refused to leave. 

Every now and then, I'd catch myself looking at him just to make sure he was still there, and every single time our eyes met, he'd smile at me as though he could somehow hear every anxious thought running through my head.

The rest of the night had passed so effortlessly that it almost didn't feel real.

We talked.

We laughed.

We ordered food because neither of us had the energy to cook, and somewhere between stealing fries from each other's plates and arguing over whether I still made the best cinnamon rolls in the city, it felt as though someone had given us back the years we'd lost.

I didn't realize how late it had gotten until my phone buzzed for what had to be the twentieth time.

Ryan looked up from where he was making coffee and laughed.

"I have a feeling whoever's calling isn't planning to stop."

I glanced at the screen and sighed.

"Morgan."

"Again?"

I nodded before scrolling through the endless stream of unread messages.

Where are you?

Emily, answer your phone.

I'm trying very hard not to assume you've been kidnapped.

Zara is asking for you.

I'm this close to reporting you missing.

I couldn't help laughing.

"I think she's genuinely worried."

Ryan smiled as he placed a mug in front of me.

"She called me about an hour ago."

I looked up.

"She did?"

He nodded.

"I told her you were with me and that you were fine."

I stared at him.

"You answered my best friend's interrogation?"

"I had no choice. She sounded ready to storm my house with the police."

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

"That sounds exactly like Morgan."

"It does."

He leaned against the kitchen counter, folding his arms comfortably.

"She also told me Zara has officially decided she's done staying with her."

I smiled immediately.

"My poor baby."

Ryan chuckled.

"I believe her exact words were, 'Tell Emily to come and collect her daughter before I lose this negotiation.'"

I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.

"I should probably go."

The words left my mouth, but neither of us moved. Instead, we simply looked at each other. Neither of us wanted to say goodbye.

I slowly stood, slipping my phone into my handbag before looking at him again.

"I'll go and pick Zara up, take her home, and..." I paused, letting out a small sigh. "Then I'll finally find out why my grandmother decided to visit you before she visited me."

Ryan smiled.

"I'd pay to hear that conversation."

"So would I."

The smile faded from my face as another thought crossed my mind.

"You're still going to the detention center, aren't you?"

His expression softened because he immediately understood what I meant.

He nodded slowly.

"I need to."

I swallowed.

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck.

"There's something Miranda said that I can't ignore, and I need to see my dad for that."

A knot formed in my stomach.

"What did she say?"

His jaw tightened.

"She claimed she'd been sleeping with my father."

For a moment, I simply stared at him.

"What?"

"I don't know if she was telling the truth or trying to hurt me before she left, but I need answers." He let out a tired breath before continuing. "If there's even the slightest chance she's telling the truth, then I need to know what the hell my father was thinking... doing whatever the hell he was doing."

I walked over until I was standing in front of him.

"Do you think it's true?"

"I honestly don't know."

His answer carried more exhaustion than anger.

"And that's exactly why I have to ask him myself."

I reached for his hand.

"You won't stay there too long?"

He smiled gently.

"No."

I hesitated before asking the question that had been bothering me ever since we'd gotten back together.

"You promise?"

His brows lifted slightly.

"I don't know."

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

"I'm scared you'll change your mind while you're there."

Ryan stared at me for a second before a soft chuckle escaped him.

He stepped closer, cupped my face with one hand, and pressed a quick kiss against my lips.

"I've already told you you're stuck with me."

A smile spread across my face despite myself.

"You have?"

"I have."

"What if you wake up tomorrow and realize getting back together with me was a terrible idea?"

He laughed quietly.

"Emily, you've had me wrapped around your finger since we were teenagers. If I haven't escaped by now, I don't think there's much hope for me."

I playfully nudged his chest.

"You're impossible."

"And completely in love with you."

Heat rushed to my cheeks.

"Go," he said, smiling. "Before Morgan actually reports me for kidnapping you."

I laughed one last time before reluctantly walking toward the door.

Leaving him somehow felt harder than walking away from him had ever been.

...

By the time I pulled into Morgan's driveway, dusk had settled over the neighborhood.

The front door flew open before I'd even climbed out of the car.

"Mummy!"

Zara came running toward me at full speed.

I barely had enough time to kneel before she threw herself into my arms.

"There you are."

I hugged her tightly, kissing the top of her head over and over.

"I missed you too, baby."

"I don't want to sleep here anymore."

I laughed.

"I know."

As we walked inside, something on the dining table immediately caught my attention.

I stopped in my tracks.

A breathtaking bouquet of deep red roses sat in the center of the table, easily the biggest bouquet I'd ever seen, and beside it was an elegant gourmet food basket filled with pastries, fruit, chocolates, fresh juice, cheeses, and neatly packaged meals.

I blinked.

"Morgan..."

She looked up from the kitchen.

"Yeah?"

"What on earth is all this?"

She frowned.

"What do you mean?"

I pointed toward the table.

"You didn't have to spend this much on me."

Morgan burst into laughter.

"The confidence."

"What?"

"You actually think I bought all that?"

I looked between her and the flowers.

"You didn't?"

She folded her arms.

"Bold of you to assume."

I frowned.

"Then who did?"

She rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Ryan."

My heart skipped.

"He had everything delivered about an hour before you got here." She shrugged casually. "Apparently, you barely ate before leaving his house, and he figured you'd probably forget to eat again once you started worrying about everyone else."

I couldn't stop smiling.

That man...

He really was determined to make up for lost time.

Morgan noticed the smile immediately.

"Oh, don't do that."

I blinked.

"Do what?"

"That smile."

"What smile?"

"The one that's making you look like you've forgotten the rest of us exist."

I laughed, pulling Zara into another hug.

"We're seeing Daddy later tonight," I told her.

Her eyes lit up instantly.

"Really?"

I nodded.

"Really."

Morgan narrowed her eyes at me.

"Okay..."

She walked closer until she was standing directly in front of me.

"Now spill."

I bit down on my lower lip, trying—and failing—to hide the grin spreading across my face.

"Well..."

I looked down at Zara before meeting Morgan's expectant gaze again.

"I may have gone back to Ryan's yesterday..."